Product Review: Sweet Earth Kyoto Burrito

This is kind of embarrassing, but I yelped when I saw my Target carried Sweet Earth burritos. Hand over heart, I saw a woman who was perusing the ice cream turn around and ask, “Is there a dog in here?”

I was just super excited, because I’ve read great things about this brand on Another Hungry Vegan (one of my favorite vegan food blogs, by the way, and an inspiration for my site!)

It was definitely a trial deciding which one to buy, but I finally settled on the Kyoto: Japanese adzuki beans, edemame, baby bok choy, fresh baby spinach, ginger, carrots, brown rice, seitan and shiitake mushrooms. Side-note: why is the spinach the only ingredient that’s “fresh”? I mean, it’s frozen food, so strictly speaking none of this is fresh. Or was the spinach picked right before this burrito was all wrapped up? Another unsolved mystery… Right up there with the Bermuda Triangle.

I thought this was pretty decently-sized–and it has 11 grams of protein, nice! It was so cool, after I microwaved it it smelled like a Japanese restaurant. Unexpected and awesome, like hearing an African-American with a British accent. The worlds-colliding factor definitely worked in this burrito’s favor. The light, yes, fresh-tasting veggies paired really well with the flour tortilla. In fact, the vegetables were the dominant flavor–I couldn’t really pick up on the brown rice, although I did get one particularly satisfying chunk of seitan. (Sweet Earth Foods knows what they’re doing with their seitan.)

Don’t let it’s un-photogenicness scare you.

 

If you love edemame beans, you’ll love this burrito, because it was crammed full of them. Altogther, I thought it was a delicious, unique variation on the classic burrito. The flavors melded together wonderfully and the dish was light yet filling. My one complaint: the tortilla cooked a little un-evenly… but I’m chalking that up to the microwave’s fault.

Cost: $3.99

Rating: 7/10

Would I buy again: Yes

Product Review: Dr. McDougall’s Pad Thai

There was a boy at my high school  named–well, let’s call him Seth. (His name was actually Seth, and I know him still, so let’s hope he doesn’t read this.) Seth brought his lunch and snacks to school every day in individual jars. His backpack was always stuffed, but not with binders or books… with jars. Of course, he was teased endlessly. I mean, this was high school, and most guys didn’t show up with any food, let alone food in jars.

Let me tell you, Seth was onto something. As mason jars became super trendy in the Instagram/Tumblr/blog world, I hopped on the jar-wagon (haha) and started storing all of my food in jars. They’re re-usable, easy to clean, portable, and kind of cute! Sorry for laughing, Seth.

Anyways, how does this relate? I made this Dr. McDougall’s Pad Thai entree three days ago, tasted it, and then stuck it in a jar–where it is sticking still. I really wanted to like it, especially after the scathing review I gave Dr. McDougall’s Lentil Curry Pilaf. However, it was pretty mediocre.

When I opened up the package of seasonings to pour over the noodles, I was semi-alarmed by its neon orange, Kraft-esque color, yet ignored my qualms. Packaged food comes at a price, right? The noodles and sauce combo certainly smelled pretty authentic: peanutty with a slight tang. I optimistically forged ahead.

Besides a faint tingling on my tongue that told me there was a little spice in the mix, I barely tasted anything. This was just super bland. It needed salt, or Sriracha, or salt and Sriracha– actually, it needed a whole new sauce. The noodles had a good texture and consistency, but I felt like I was eating plain noodles, which everyone knows isn’t a very stimulating taste experience. Into the jar this went, where I promised myself I’d add soy sauce, a little bit of peanut butter, some sugar, some lime juice, and some SODIUM. I haven’t done that yet, however, and now it’s making me feel guilty.

Cost: $3.95

Rating: 3/10

Would I buy again: No

Product Review: EatPastry Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

 

 

 

What are the top three things people say when they find out you’re vegan? I usually get: “I could never do that… I love bacon way too much.” “I could never do that… I love burgers way too much.” “I could never do that… I love steak way too much.”

Just once I wish someone would say something that surprised me, like “I could never do that… I’m a huge fan of flamingo meat.”

Anyways, at least no one can say they could never be vegan because there are no good desserts! I was super excited to try this EatPastry dessert, because A) chocolate chips, B) peanut butter, and C) COOKIE DOUGH.

I cracked open the lid and took a big whiff. The dough smelled kind of like peanut butter — and kind of like crayons. Or maybe that was the plastic container, I’m not sure. I foraged on.

This consistency of this was a spot-on replica of the Toll House chocolate chip cookies my mom and I used to bake. Very scoopable, a little greasy, and with nice chunks of chocolate interspersed without. I’m sure you could eat these plain, but I wanted the real deal, so I scooped them onto a baking sheet and waited nine way-too-long minutes.

These went in the oven as big as a teaspoon, and came out that size too. Maybe they didn’t rise at all because of the dough. They did come out soft and light, with a crispy bottom.

It took me a little detect to taste the peanut butter; at first, this just tasted like a regular chocolate chip cookie. It was there after, but subtler than I would have liked. After all, ground Valencia peanuts are the second ingredient on the list. However, as far as chocolate chip cookies go, this was a darn good one. I absolutely could not tell it was vegan. It even had that buttery taste and texture I adored in the cookies of my youth! In addition, the chocolate was just right: not too sweet, not too bitter, and nicely interspersed.

Cost: $6.99

Would I buy again: Definitely–I really want to try the other flavors too

Rating: 8/10

Product Review: So Delicious Sugar-Free Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream

I rarely apply the word “fabulous” to fruits… but the coconut is pretty fabulous. It’s given us coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut sugar, coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut flour, shredded coconut, and more. Kind of makes you wonder what apples have been up to lately, right?

Anyways, I took a lovely stroll down coconut lane with this coconut milk ice cream from So Delicious. Well, they refer to it as a frozen dessert. Yet I ask you, what sounds sexier, ice cream or frozen dessert? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

It had been a long, hard day of studying bugs (I thought People, Pests, and Plagues sounded like a more interesting course than BIO 101) so I was definitely ready for some, err, frozen dessert! I took an experimental first bite. The vanilla bean came through loud and clear–yum. However, unlike normal ice cream, this had a very flaky consistency. I tried scooping it into a bowl and little slices of it would go shooting all over the counter. The un-traditional texture was one of the only ways I could tell this was dairy-free; in all other respects, including taste and meltability, it tasted like ice cream. There definitely wasn’t a strong coconut flavor, which actually kind of surprised me.

Unfortunately, this didn’t have a lot of depth or nuanced flavor. All I could taste was vanilla bean, with a slightly gummy after-taste. It was good, but I didn’t feel satiated like I used to after diving into some Ben n’ Jerrys. In fact, I had to stop myself after half the pint. I was full, but I kept eating but I didn’t feel satisfied.

Granted, this is sugar-free, and half the pint? A mere 200 calories. Once I try the full-fructose versions (I’m looking at chu, Turtle Trails) I’ll know if the lack of complexity is a sugar-free thing or a So Delicious thing.

Product Review: Peanut Butter and Co. Flavors

I am a huge, huge peanut butter fan. In fact, my dream is to visit the Peanut Butter and Co. Sandwich Shop in New York City. Tell me this doesn’t sound delicious: “Dark chocolate peanut butter and jam, stuffed with shredded coconut. It’s PB&J meets Black Forest Cake.” No, it’s PB&J meets HEAVEN.

My best friend and I are so obsessed we even bought PB& Co mugs…

and matching T-shirts!

 

However, I have to be honest. I contacted them to ask whether they’d be interested in sending me some free samples to review — and they never responded. Good thing I’ve tried almost all of their PB flavors on my own dime and time.

First up: Dark Chocolate Dreams

 

This stuff is essentially Nutella but made with peanuts instead of hazelnuts. However, Nutella isn’t vegan–THIS IS. And it’s darn good. While you can taste the chocolate, it’s not overpowering, and the peanuttyness (definitely made that word up) remains the dominant flavor. DCD doesn’t have that oil separation, so there’s no need to mix it up when you open the jar. Just dive in!

As you can probably imagine, this flavor goes very well with banana and cinnamon. (Dessert Pita Pizza.)

Cost: $3.29 (on sale)

Would I buy again: I always keep a jar stashed in my pantry

Rating: 8/10

Next up:  White Chocolate Wonderful

(I don’t have a photo of the actual jar, sorry.)

I couldn’t pick up on the white chocolate at all… It just tasted like a slightly sweeter version of your regular ol’ peanut butter. Once again, no oil separation.

Cost: $4.99

Would I buy again: No

Rating: 6/10

Next: Mighty Maple

This had a lovely, pancake after-taste to it! Like DCD and WCW-and unlike many other “dessert” spreads– the peanut butter comes through loud and clear, while the secondary flavor is more obvious in the lingering after-taste. While it’s incredibly creamy and spreadable, then you can almost taste the individual “bursts” of maple, which is as enjoyable as it sounds. Bonus: this smells amazing. One whiff of the deep, syrupy goodness and your tastebuds will be salivating for a PB&J or an apple/dip combo. Although it advertises itself as a “No-Stir Natural,” I had a moderate amount of oil floating on the top of my jar. Nothing a quick stir can’t handle.

Cost: $5.29 (at my campus market)

Would I buy again: Yes

Rating: 8/10

I’ve saved the best for last: Cinnamon Raisin Swirl

This one is probably my favorite because it has the most distinctive taste. Read: it’s the sweetest. Upon first bite? spoonful? the cinnamon is obvious. Coming in hot on its heels is a jolt of sugar… my favorite. I loved the random plump raisins, which made this reminiscent of Cinnamon Raisin bread and were nice little surprises to come across.

This is very granular, but I actually like the gritty sub-texture against the softness of the raisins and the overall smoothness of the butter.

Cost: $4.99

Would I buy again: Yes!

Rating: 8.5/10

 

 

Product Review: Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Pancake and Waffle Mix

I recently announced to my roommates that I wouldn’t answer to anything other than “Pancake Princess.” Why do I deserve this title, you ask? Because I’ve eaten pancakes eight times in the past nine days. I think it’s fair to say I’m obsessed.
This is the mix I’ve been using:
I had previously tried a Wholesome Chow pancake mix, specifically meant for vegans, but found I preferred this one.

The recipe on the back calls for 1 cup mix, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon oil, and 3/4 cup cold milk. My tried-and-true version: 1/3 cup mix, 1/2 cup almond-milk, 1 tsp ground flax mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp warm water. Mix and pour, baby!

Just a few of my creations…

These have the traditional pancake flavor, but you can definitely taste the whole-wheatiness. In other words: they taste like they’re good for you. However, it’s actually quite pleasant! Kind of like when you eat whole-grain bread — you know it’s not brioche, but you get to enjoy that nutty, denser flavor while simultaneously patting yourself on the back for being nutritious.

Despite messing with the recipe, my pancakes always turn out light, golden brown and evenly cooked. They’re quite thin, but I imagine that’s because I add a lot of almond milk. If you wanted thicker, sturdier pancakes, you could simply reduce the liquid.

Although the package advertises them as fluffy, I’d say they’re more like delicate, flat discs. Again, probably different if you’re using eggs.

I absolutely love eating these with all sorts of toppings, from jam to fruit to peanut butter. They’re also excellent if you add some chocolate chips to the batter (but I don’t think they’d work with bananas, as those would cook much more slowly than the flapjacks.)

Overall, I’m pretty much in love! They (well, really I) don’t call me The Pancake Princess for nothin’.

Cost: $4.00 (24 cents/serving!)

Would I buy again: An enthusiastic yes

Rating: 7.5/10